Currently, the home automation almost comes to a stage to put into practical use, in which home products are controlled automatically in a home or far from the home. Though an initial home automation is at a level the products are controlled separately by using a telephone or an infrared ray, without interconnection between the products, currently a method is used, in which a network of the products are constructed by employing communication means, and a controller for controlling the network is provided, for integrated management of the network.
FIG. 1 illustrates a home network, schematically.
A lot of home products, such as a refrigerator, an air conditioner, a microwave oven, a washing machine, a personal computer (PC), and the like, are connected through a communication bus, to form a home network.
When microcomputers of the products have a serial communication function, a communication bus may be connected between the products, to form a home network as shown in FIG. 2, and when the microcomputers of the products have no serial communication function, communication modules may be fitted to the products additionally, to form a home network as shown in FIG. 3. A controller may be set up for controlling the home network formed thus, wherein, currently as most of homes have personal computers, the personal computer may be made to be operative as the network controller by providing an application program to the personal computer for controlling the network, without providing a separate controller.
A network control of the home network is made as the home products in the home network exchange communication data according to communication standards, of which communication data has a structure as shown in FIG. 4. The structure of the communication network has a preamble, a receiver code for designating a receiver, an product, of the communication data, a transmitter code for designating a transmitter of the communication data, a control code for specifying an actual control order, and an error check code.
A variety of network controls may be available depending on how the control code is specified.
Moreover, the products have communication conditions set up therein for transmission of the communication data.
As an example, the operation of the network will be described under assumption that the communication condition of a washing machine is finish of a washing, the receiver code is an air conditioner, and the control code is specified such that a word of wash finished is displayed on a display, and, at the same time, a melody is produced from a buzzer for announcing finish of the washing.
Upon finishing the washing, the washing machine transmits a communication data including above specification to the air conditioner. Then, as the receiver code in the communication data is the same with its own, the air conditioner reads in the communication data, detects the control code, displays a text of the wash finished on the display, i.e., on an LCD panel, and puts the buzzer into operation to produce a melody announcing wash finished.
In a case the home products in the home network are not from the same manufacturer, there may be differences in communication standards and the like, and the home products may vary as one product is not provided, or replaced, or added, depending on user's taste. Therefore, even though a representative address is set up to every product at the time of manufacturing the product, setting of the product addresses following organizing a network is required for making an effective control of the network even in cases the manufacturers of the products in the network are different, or the net work varies.